Observation of a physical matrix effect during cold vapour generation measurement of mercury in emissions samples

The observation of a physical matrix effect during the cold vapour generation–atomic fluorescence measurement of mercury in emissions samples is reported. The effect is as a result of the different efficiencies of liberation of reduced mercury from solution as the matrix of the solution under test varies. The result of this is that peak area to peak height ratios decease as matrix concentration increases, passing through a minimum, before the ratio then increases as matrix concentration further increases. In the test matrices examined – acidified potassium dichromate and sodium chloride solutions – the possible biases caused by differences between the calibration standard matrix and the test sample matrix were as large as 2.8% (relative) representing peak area to peak height ratios for calibration standards and matrix samples of 45 and 43.75, respectively. For the system considered there is a good correlation between the density of the matrix and point of optimum liberation of dissolved mercury for both matrix types. Several methods employing matrix matching and mathematical correction to overcome the bias are presented and their relative merits discussed; the most promising being the use of peak area, rather than peak height, for quantification.